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I’m currently working in a climate of change, (though I say currently, I can’t help but resonate with this quote from Heraclitus “The Only Constant is Change…”) Nonetheless it got me thinking and reflecting about change management theories I’ve come across in the past. Some time ago I shared a theory called ‘The Path of the Everyday Hero’ which is one of my favourites – click here to access my blog. As you will read, this particular framework is useful to recognise (the normal) emotions we all experience when going through personal or professional change and the associated journey.

One of the great names associated with change theory is John Kotter, a thought leader and Harvard Business School Professor. His 8 steps consider change more from the perspective of how to ‘do’ it. This is incredibly useful when planning and leading change initiatives.

Kotter’s 8 steps are:

Create a sense of urgency – getting buy in, being open and transparent with proposals and getting that ‘fire in the belly’ throughout the organisation.

Form a powerful coalition – get a team together, with influential members who believe in the change too.

Create a vision for change – what are the values at the core of the change? Summarise the vision so everyone can grasp it easily.

Communicate the vision – talk about it... a lot! Bring it into day to day communications, address concerns openly and honestly.

Remove barriers – is anyone still resisting the change? Are there processes or working hierarchies in the way? These obstacles need to be removed.